Two of the more prominent former Spartans have found a home in the NFL.
David Fales, former SJSU quarterback, now a member of the Baltimore Ravens, spent two seasons as a Spartan in 2012 and 2013. He led SJSU to its first and only appearance in the National rankings in 2012 (21st in the AP Poll).
“It was a perfect situation for me being close to home,” Fales said. “I feel like I came into a perfect situation where they had all the pieces set up and they just needed someone to throw the ball.”
Fales flourished as quarterback of the Spartans, going into his second season at SJSU he was projected to be a first round pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
“I feel like my whole college career, bouncing around and being around the coaches helped prepare me,” Fales said. “Just playing against good players and good teams definitely helped me get ready and helped me adjust.”
The move to the NFL was a major wake up call for Fales however, who had become accustomed to being the star on ---the roster.
“It was a really big transition,” Fales said. “You go from getting all the reps to having to share reps here everyday and you are not the guy anymore.”
The Chicago Bears took Fales in sixth round of the 2014 draft to be the backup to longtime starting quarterback Jay Cutler.
“He is someone that has been around the league for a long time and he knows a lot and has a lot of experience,” Fales said. “Being around him everyday was a big help and I am able to pick up stuff he does and he really took me under his wing and helped me.”
While Fales was predicted to have one of the biggest impacts any Spartan has had in the NFL over the past 10 years, cornerback Bene Benwikere stole the headlines.
Benwikere took the league by storm in his rookie year after getting drafted by the Carolina Panthers. He was named to the 2014 Pro Football Focus all-rookie team, Sports Illustrated all-rookie team and ESPN all-rookie team.
The Panther cornerback spent all four years of his college career as a Spartan from 2010 to 2013 before being drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
“It was a rebuilding program and we got a new coach,” Benwikere said. “A lot of the new guys got a chance to play and I enjoyed myself.”
As a Spartan, Benwikere was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference and All-Mountain West Conference teams in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
“My very first year we only won one game,” Benwikere said. “But we grew as a team and by my junior year we went 11-2 and went to the Military Bowl and won that as well.”
Like Fales, Benwikere noticed the legitimate differences between college football and NFL on day one of training camp in 2014.
“The mental state of the game is the biggest change,” Benwikere said. “There are definitely guys that are a lot bigger and stronger and you just need to learn the mental state of the game.”
Earlier this year Benwikere came back to San Jose when the Panthers were preparing to play the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
“It was an interesting experience because I was injured and wasn’t able to do as much,” Benwikere said. “The whole week was really fun, I was embraced by the coaching staff and a lot of players and fans came to visit me at the hotel.”
As a member of the Panthers, everyday Benwikere gets to work with the 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton.
“He’s a fun and energetic guy,” Benwikere said. “He is definitely a good competition and a good guy to be around and the energy he brings everyday is definitely great.”
Benwikere said many people think Newton is just a guy that messes around and has a good time but he is one of the most focused people he has met on a football field.
Football has been a huge part of both these players lives and has shaped them to be who they are today. They both said they want to set good examples for the current SJSU football players and show them that they can achieve their goals.
“It is great getting to bring back some of our former players to talk to the guys,” said Spartans head coach Ron Caragher. “Just a sense of pride for the opportunity to play pro football and they are good ambassadors for the school.”
Week 4 preview
The Spartans will head back on the road on Saturday for a matchup with the Iowa State Cyclones. It’s the first time the teams have matched up in a football game in 36 years.
Members of the Big-12 conference, the Cyclones are 0-3 and are coming off a rough outing against Texas Christian University.
The Spartans will look to try and capitalize on the tough start to the season for the Cyclones and try to improve to 2-2 for the second straight season.
The Cyclones are 3-0 lifetime against the Spartans, the most recent of which was on September 20, 1980 when they beat SJSU 27-6.
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